Steele seems to have stopped the immediate bleeding, but his moves also left a host of unanswered questions about what the turmoil means for his fate and the GOP’s prospects this fall.

Here are some clues to watch in the days and weeks to come as the RNC emerges from it all.

Are there any more drips to drop?

Steele hoped the apparent firing of chief of staff Ken McKay and the departure of longtime Steele adviser Curt Anderson would send the signal that the chairman understood the level of outrage in the party over the spending of $2,000 on a tab at the Voyeur nightclub and other concerns about the committee’s finances.

But for many Republican professionals, particularly those who have been critical of or ambivalent about Steele, it simply underscored what a mess the RNC has become.

The decision by former Ambassador Sam Fox, a longtime GOP donor, to relinquish his fundraising post at the party, as well as the call on CNN Tuesday night for Steele to step down by veteran consultant Alex Castellanos, who had been assisting the RNC on a volunteer basis, only reinforced that perception.

Should other committee staffers also flee, it would suggest that what took place Monday wasn’t the culmination of an internal power struggle but rather a sign of chaos. Even among senior Republicans who would like the chairman to step down, the hope following the shake-up was that it would put an end to the stream of stories about Steele’s rocky tenure. A rush to the exits could threaten the committee’s ability to function on a day-to-day basis and prompt GOP elected officials to step in.

Morale among some RNC staff members was low on Tuesday, multiple sources told POLITICO. None of the grumbling aides wanted to speak for attribution, but the common view is that McKay, who was actually back home in Rhode Island last week dealing with the flooding there, was the fall guy for expenses that others should have been held accountable for.

Still, by Tuesday night, no more full-time staff members were quitting or being pushed out. More leakage within the RNC apparatus could offer fresh oxygen to the party-in-disarray story, but for the moment that’s not happening.

A deafening silence

Also not happening right now: any organized effort to push Steele out of his job. Two-thirds of RNC members — the state chairs and each state’s committeemen and committeewomen — would have to support a resolution ousting Steele. Even while party members were disgusted at the sex-club revelations and concerned about some of the turnover Monday, they say there is no movement afoot to dump the chairman fewer than six months before the midterm elections.

MartinKOS and the others liberal/progressives at Politico sure are "milking" this non-story. I guess this is the best our corrupt liberal/progressive MSM wolfpack press can do for their pals and party. With all the corruption, bribes, and bad moves being made by Obama and the Democrats I guess America's free left-wing press had to come up with some "diversion" to that mess.................. Well who is really surprised by America's most corrrupt and liberal/progressive institution, our MSM wolfpack press. This STORY is yet another example....... "There is not currently any organized effort to push the RNC chairman out of his job" - OH ! there's an organized effort alright..........organzied by our corrupt liberal/progressive MSM wolfpack press....... this "story" is proof....

“I’m confident that Chairman Steele and the committee will make appropriate changes and clean up things that need to get taken care of internally,” said Glenn McCall, South Carolina’s national committeeman

There was a time when one would normally react, 'Yah, but they'd pretty much have to say that" to this quote.

No longer. The reactions are all over the map. Not having a dog in this fight, since I'm neither a Republican nor a fancier of organized political parties (oxymoron alert!) in general, I'd still be curious to see a tally of the suppor/lack thereof for Steele on this whole issue (and a separate one for the blame assessed him). My take on that last is The Buck Stops Here. The credit card vouchers as well.

And the other axis would (objectively, to be sure) represent the relative importance of the responder in party politics, from 0 (Sarah Palin) to 10 (state RNC chairs, national committe members).

The resulting scattergram, each point giving in round numbers the number of Pubbies in that group, would give a good idea of the pulse of the party on this (non?) issue.

My take as an outsider? They made their PC bed when they hired a seeming incompetent for the top job on the committee, and now they are tossing and turning in it, even those who are remaining silent on the issue.

Thanks to Michael Steele's leadership, we Republicans have been winning big in Mass, Virginia, N Jersey and elsewhere. We can exploint the Tea Party crowd to our political advantage. We are going to reclaim the Congress this fall and the WH in three years, and then repeal this disastrous Obamacare!

And wha't the problem with a few guys having some fun at a strip club?

you walk into a room and say is this where it is and somebody points to you and says its his and you say whats mine and somebody else says where what is and you scream omg am I in here all alone and theres somethin happenin here but you dont know what it is do you mr jones

Thanks to Michael Steele's leadership, we Republicans have been winning big in Mass

*chortle* Ah, that was thanks to Martha Chokely's "leadership", not MIkey's. That and the 1.2 metric tons (by actual measurement on truck scales on I-90) that were donated to Brown's campaign by Quitter Barbie's thralled minions.

And wha't the problem with a few guys having some fun at a strip club?

Nothing as far as I'm concerned, but I'm about as far from GOP material as one can get. Think more Druid. Well, Druish.

You should've told it to RNC Accounting before that horse left the barn and woke the whole NEIGH-borhood (get it?)

Since Obama's election, Webb said some black conservatives have even resorted to hiding their political views.

"I know of people who would play the (liberal) role publicly, but have their private opinions," he said. "They don't agree with the policy but they have to work, live and exist in the community ... Why can't we speak openly and honestly if we disagree?"

Among the 37 black Republicans running for U.S. House and Senate seats in November is Charles Lollar of Maryland's 5th District.

A tea party supporter running against House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Lollar says he's finding support in unexpected places.

The 38-year-old U.S. Marine Corps reservist recently walked into a bar in southern Maryland decorated with a Confederate flag. It gave his wife Rosha pause.

"I said, 'You know what, honey? Many, many of our Southern citizens came together under that flag for the purpose of keeping their family and their state together,'" Lollar recalled. "The flag is not what you're to fear. It's the stupidity behind the flag that is a problem. I don't think we'll find that in here. Let's go ahead in."

Once inside, they were treated to a pig roast, a motorcycle rally — and presented with $5,000 in contributions for his campaign.

McGlowan, one of three GOP candidates in north Mississippi's 1st District primary, seeks a seat held since 2008 by The National Republican Congressional Committee has supported Alan Nunnelee, chairman of the state Senate Appropriations Committee, who is also pursuing tea party voters.

McGlowan believes the tea party movement has been unfairly portrayed as monolithically white, male and middle-aged, though she acknowledged blacks and Hispanics are a minority at most events.

Racist protest signs at some tea party rallies and recent reports by U.S. Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Barney Frank, D-Mass., that tea partyers shouted racial and anti-gay slurs at them have raised allegations of racism in the tea party movement.

Black members of the movement say it is not inherently racist, and some question the reported slurs. "You would think — something that offensive — you would think someone got video of it," Bazar, the conservative blogger, said.

"Just because you have one nut case, it doesn't automatically equate that you've got an organization that espouses (racism) as a sane belief," Johnson said.

Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington bureau of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, suggested a bit of caution.

"I'm sure the reason that (black conservatives) are involved is that from an ideological perspective, they agree," said Shelton. "But when those kinds of things happen, it is very important to be careful of the company that you keep."

Since Obama's election, Webb said some black conservatives have even resorted to hiding their political views.

"I know of people who would play the (liberal) role publicly, but have their private opinions," he said. "They don't agree with the policy but they have to work, live and exist in the community ... Why can't we speak openly and honestly if we disagree?"

Among the 37 black Republicans running for U.S. House and Senate seats in November is Charles Lollar of Maryland's 5th District.

A tea party supporter running against House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Lollar says he's finding support in unexpected places.

The 38-year-old U.S. Marine Corps reservist recently walked into a bar in southern Maryland decorated with a Confederate flag. It gave his wife Rosha pause.

"I said, 'You know what, honey? Many, many of our Southern citizens came together under that flag for the purpose of keeping their family and their state together,'" Lollar recalled. "The flag is not what you're to fear. It's the stupidity behind the flag that is a problem. I don't think we'll find that in here. Let's go ahead in."

Once inside, they were treated to a pig roast, a motorcycle rally — and presented with $5,000 in contributions for his campaign.

McGlowan, one of three GOP candidates in north Mississippi's 1st District primary, seeks a seat held since 2008 by The National Republican Congressional Committee has supported Alan Nunnelee, chairman of the state Senate Appropriations Committee, who is also pursuing tea party voters.

McGlowan believes the tea party movement has been unfairly portrayed as monolithically white, male and middle-aged, though she acknowledged blacks and Hispanics are a minority at most events.

Racist protest signs at some tea party rallies and recent reports by U.S. Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Barney Frank, D-Mass., that tea partyers shouted racial and anti-gay slurs at them have raised allegations of racism in the tea party movement.

Black members of the movement say it is not inherently racist, and some question the reported slurs. "You would think — something that offensive — you would think someone got video of it," Bazar, the conservative blogger, said.

"Just because you have one nut case, it doesn't automatically equate that you've got an organization that espouses (racism) as a sane belief," Johnson said.

Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington bureau of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, suggested a bit of caution.

"I'm sure the reason that (black conservatives) are involved is that from an ideological perspective, they agree," said Shelton. "But when those kinds of things happen, it is very important to be careful of the company that you keep."

Uumm... my girlfriend will be quite angry with me then... for she is both black and latina. She's going to hate it when she finds out.

That she's, ah, black? If you haven't told her by now, I'd just, y'know, let it slide. If it does come up, mumble something about RMJD (Reverse Michael Jackson Disorder), a rare caucasian genetic thang, and tell her how beautiful and thin she is. Quick!

The Republican Party has long been the political haven or home of the ageist, sexist, xenophobic and racist. While they usually, though not always, avoid any proud proclamation to that effect, they get their message out via Willie Horton ads, pictures of Republican gatherings that look like a Catholic meeting of Archbishops at the Vatican or a club member meeting at Augusta National Golf Club. Their political positions signal their colors as well: from anti-immigration to anti-desegregation, Republicans get their message out. Tokenism is their game to fight against being outed; most recently, Sarah Palin was added to a presidential ticket and now Steele to be the titular head of the party. They are using Steele and are shocked by how blatantly (and some would say abusively) Steele is using them. Don't expect a mini-Civil War to erupt exposing so blatantly the party's racism. No, Steele will serve his time and be ousted in January(?), when the RNC chairmen meet to consider such matters. Both Palin and Steele know the situation they are in, which is partly why the two are on a furious Look-at-me tour and frantically filling their pockets from every source they can find.